Restoring honor

Grassroots & Governance Teresa S. Abesamis

All these weeks of impeachment watching can be so engrossing, yet at times frustrating, with all the obstructionist technicalities being raised. One of my friends has warned me it could be bad for my health. Time to take stock. Why is it so important to remove de facto Chief Justice Renato Corona from his midnight-obtained job?

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Let us keep in mind the context in which the impeachment action has been taken. Because of a Supreme Court TRO, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo almost got away by the skin of her teeth. If Corona stays and her cases reach the Supreme Court, she could still go scot-free.

Yes, Virginia, it could happen. The new ombudsman, the truly honorable Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, has initiated legal action against Arroyo’s sleazy cronies Jovito Palparan, Butch Pichay and Benjamin Abalos. There is more to come. If Corona remains in office, all the effort to restore justice being undertaken by the ombudsman and the courageous Justice Secretary Leila de Lima with unequivocal support from the President will end up quite likely, with acquittal or endless TROs when the cases reach the Supreme Court.

If we want to restore honor to public service in our country, we cannot be half-hearted about the impeachment trials. Corona has to be convicted. He cannot continue to be referred to as "honorable." If he stays, we will be kidding ourselves for another six years! Surely we deserve better.

The estimated 80% of public servants who are honest, dedicated and faithful to their oaths of office deserve no less. Our ever-patient people who suffer constantly from deprivation, natural and man-made disasters need no less. They have shown incredible forbearance in the midst of their hardships. They can accept suffering with greater serenity, if they could hold their heads high, knowing that they are governed by honorable men and women who will, one day, be able to make things right.

We have waited a long time for restoration of justice and a return to clarity between right and wrong. We may not have another chance for a long, long time if we drop the ball on this one.

This, for me, is the real significance of the impeachment of Renato Corona. If we were not so overwhelmed by legal technicalities, and by deftness on criminal law of the seasoned defense counsel Justice Serafin Cuevas, the prosecution, despite its many missed opportunities, should be ready to rest its case. Corona, who has said many times that he has nothing to hide, wants to hide his bank accounts, but his peso time deposits already constitute unexplained wealth, if we go by his SALN. His SALN, which his clerk of court had no choice but to reveal, clearly failed to disclose too many of his recently discovered, documented assets. In a Supreme Court decision delineating what is unexplained wealth, ponente Justice Renato Corona’s own decision years ago made it possible for the PCGG under the leadership of the late Haydee Yorac and her associate Ruben Carranza to win their case on Marcos deposits in Swiss banks. In his documented decision, Corona made it clear that assets that are beyond the legitimate income of government employees (i.e., Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos) constitute illegitimate wealth. Corona has already built his own case against himself.

Enough evidence has been revealed in and out of court, on the questionable character of Renato Corona and his lack of moral fitness for the highest post in the Judiciary, at a time when restoration of honor in public service is required if we are to transform our government into a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Decades of misgovernance by politicians more interested in acquiring wealth for themselves rather than serving our country have almost run us aground.

We can’t pussyfoot on this opportunity to send a dramatic signal to our people and to the world that the Philippines is done with all that, and is transforming itself into a new nation that will respond to its people’s needs. That it will be governed by truly honorable men and women who can make this happen. This is the promise of the PNoy presidency.

When we can hold our heads high, in a regime where honorable conduct and honest, hard work is rewarded, and its opposite is not tolerated, the rich and multifaceted talents and kindness of the Filipino people will thrive.

What is at stake is more than just the Chief Justice’s job tenure. What is at stake is the future of our country, our children, and their children. Honorable senators, please do not compromise on this. We need you to keep faith with your oaths of office.